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59-528: The Kamakura shogunate was established by Minamoto no Yoritomo after victory in the Genpei War and appointing himself as shōgun . Yoritomo governed Japan as military dictator from the eastern city of Kamakura with the emperor of Japan and his Imperial Court in the official capital city of Heian-kyō ( Kyoto ) as figureheads . The Kamakura shōguns were members of the Minamoto clan until 1226,

118-457: A Mongol occupation army garrisoning their country, had sent much intelligence information to Japan, so that along with messages from Japanese spies in the Korean peninsula, the shogunate had a good picture of the situation of the pending Mongol invasion. The shogunate had rejected Kublai's demands to submit with contempt. The Mongol landings of 1274 met with some success, however there was no rout of

177-759: A hero unit in Total War: Shogun 2 . A character named "Yoritomo" appears in Book 6: "The Lords of the Rising Sun" in the Fabled Lands adventure gamebook series, where Yoritomo is the self-proclaimed shōgun and on the verge of war with "Lord Kiyomori". He appears as the final boss in Genpei Toma Den , an arcade game created by Namco in which the player character is Taira no Kagekiyo , another Japanese historical figure. He also appears as

236-659: A messenger to his wife Masako, but Masako sent the messenger back, saying that a military commander's son being able to shoot a deer is nothing to celebrate. The Revenge of the Soga Brothers took place on May 28 of the same year at the Fuji no Makigari hunting event. The brothers Soga Sukenari and Soga Tokimune murdered the killer of their father, Kudō Suketsune . The brothers managed to kill 10 other participants until Nitta Tadatsune killed Sukenari. Then, Tokimune raided Yoritomo's mansion attempting to attack Yoritomo, but

295-514: A monastery. In 1219, Sanetomo was assassinated by his nephew Kugyō . Since Sanetomo died childless, the line of shōguns from the Minamoto clan ended with him. From this point onwards, the Hōjō were in total control. With Sanetomo's death in 1219, his mother Hōjō Masako continued to serve as the shogunate's real center of power. As long as she lived, regents and shōguns would come and go, while she stayed at

354-468: A new feudal state organized around Kamakura while Kyoto was relegated to the role of "national ceremony and ritual". Yoritomo gathered his gokenin in May 1193 and arranged a grand hunting event, Fuji no Makigari . On May 16, Yoritomo's 12-year-old son Yoriie shot a deer for the first time. Hunting was stopped and a festival was held in the evening. Yoritomo rejoiced in his son's achievement and sent

413-403: A number of times, beginning in 1205, causing Sanetomo to fear for his life thereafter. Sanetomo, understanding his own powerlessness and not wanting to meet the same fate as his elder brother, put his time and energy into writing waka poetry and gaining posts within the powerless but honorary imperial court. Sanetomo was a talented poet, writing over 700 poems between the age 17 and 22 while he

472-522: A plot to overthrow them, but the plot was discovered almost immediately and foiled. The Mongols under Kublai Khan attempted sea-borne invasions in 1274 and 1281. Fifty years before, the shogunate had agreed to Korean demands that the Wokou be dealt with to stop their raids, and this bit of good diplomacy had created a cooperative relationship between the two states, such that the Koreans, helpless with

531-613: A power struggle with the Hōjō clan of his own mother. These conflicts caused considerable tensions within the shogunate. In 1201, the Jo clan unsuccessfully attempted to overthrow the Minamoto clan in the Kennin Rebellion . Eventually, Tokimasa deposed Yoriie, backed up his younger brother, Minamoto no Sanetomo , as a new shōgun, and assumed the post of shikken . Sanetomo was only twelve at this point, and accordingly power factually rested with his mother Hōjō Masako. The Minamoto remained

590-562: A prominent character in the 2021 anime series The Heike Story . The years in which Yoritomo was shōgun are more specifically identified by more than one era name or nengō . Minamoto no Sanetomo Minamoto no Sanetomo ( 源 実朝 , September 12, 1192 – February 13, 1219, r. 1203–1219) was the third shōgun of the Kamakura shogunate . He was the second son of the Kamakura shogunate founder, Minamoto no Yoritomo . His mother

649-417: A regent ( shikken ) to make decisions in his place. Shortly thereafter, in 1203, Sanetomo became head of the Minamoto clan and was appointed Sei-i Taishōgun . A year later, Yoriie was assassinated by the Hōjō. Sanetomo was never more than a puppet for his mother Hōjō Masako and maternal uncle Hōjō Yoshitoki, who used him as a pawn in their war with their father Tokimasa; Tokimasa tried to depose his grandson

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708-515: Is civilized." Kujō no Kanezane writes in his diary Tamaha that "Yoritomo's body is of rigorous power, and his fierce nature is accompanied with a clear distinction and firm resolution of the judgement of right and wrong." Yoritomo practiced shudō with Yoshinao , a member of the Imperial Guard. Historian Hideo Kuroda organized and examined the portraits and statues of Minamoto no Yoritomo and has concluded as follows. When comparing

767-448: Is the only accurate depiction of Minamoto no Yoritomo. In the words of George Bailey Sansom , "Yoritomo was a truly great man … his foresight was remarkable, but so was his practical good sense in setting up machinery to match his own expanding power." Yoritomo's wife's family, the Hōjō , took control after his death at Kamakura , maintaining power over the shogunate until 1333, under

826-574: The Shugo ( 守護 ) , which controlled military and police power in various regions, and the Jitō ( 地頭 ) , which was in charge of tax collection and land administration. Japanese history textbooks as of 2016 do not specify a year for the beginning of the Kamakura period, as there are various theories about the year the Kamakura shogunate was established. Historically in Japan , the power of civilian government

885-732: The Fujiwara clan until 1252, and the last six were minor princes of the imperial family. The Hōjō clan were the de facto rulers of Japan as shikken ( regent ) of the shōgun from 1203. The Kamakura shogunate saw the Jōkyū War in 1221 and the Mongol invasions of Japan under Kublai Khan in 1274 and 1281. The Kamakura shogunate was overthrown in the Kenmu Restoration under Emperor Go-Daigo in 1333, re-establishing Imperial rule until Ashikaga Takauji and his offspring overthrew

944-511: The Taira clan at the time), while Cloistered Emperor Sutoku sided with Tadazane's younger son, Fujiwara no Yorinaga . This is known as the Hōgen Rebellion . The Minamoto clan were split. The head of the clan, Tameyoshi, sided with Sutoku. However, his son, Yoshitomo (father of Yoritomo), sided with Toba and Go-Shirakawa, as well as Kiyomori. In the end, the supporters of Go-Shirakawa won

1003-500: The Taira clan, now under the leadership of Kiyomori, and the Minamoto clan, under the leadership of Yoshitomo, began to factionalize again. Four years later, Kiyomori supported Fujiwara no Michinori , also known as Shinzei. However, Yoshitomo supported Fujiwara no Nobuyori . This was known as the Heiji Rebellion . Nonetheless, the Minamoto were not well prepared, and the Taira took control of Kyoto . Shinzei's mansion

1062-569: The feudal age in Japan , which lasted until the 17th century. Yoritomo was the third son of Minamoto no Yoshitomo , heir of the Minamoto ( Seiwa Genji ) clan, and his official wife, Yura-Gozen , daughter of Fujiwara no Suenori , High Priest of Atsuta Shrine and a member of the powerful Fujiwara clan . Yoritomo was born in the family villa, on the western side of Atsuta Shrine, in Atsuta , Nagoya , Owari Province (present-day Seigan-ji ). At

1121-512: The Emperor and his court. Minamoto no Yoritomo defeated the Taira clan, but in his victory seized power from the civil aristocracy, politically relegating the Emperor and his court to symbolic figureheads . In 1192, Yoritomo and the Minamoto clan established a military government in Kamakura . Yoritomo unexpectedly died in an accident in 1199, leaving the Minamoto clan weakened. Hōjō Tokimasa ,

1180-523: The Hakone mountains, stayed in Yugawara , then escaped from Manazuru -Iwa to Awa (south of present-day Chiba ). Yoritomo spent the next six months raising a new army. Taira no Kiyomori died in 1181 and the Taira clan was now led by Taira no Munemori . Munemori took a much more aggressive policy against the Minamoto and attacked Minamoto bases from Kyoto in the Genpei War . Nonetheless, Yoritomo

1239-582: The Japanese defenders, who in any case greatly outnumbered the 40,000 combined invasion force of Mongols and Korean conscripts. Noting an impending storm, the Korean admirals advised the Mongols to re-embark so that the fleet could be protected away from shore; however, the typhoon was so destructive that one-third of the Mongol force was destroyed. After the surviving forces returned to Mongol territory, Kublai

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1298-437: The Mongols made no strategic headway. Again, a typhoon approached, and the Koreans and Chinese re-embarked the combined Mongol invasion forces in an attempt to deal with the storm in the open sea. At least one-third of the Mongol force was destroyed, and perhaps half of the conscripted Song forces to the south over a two-day period of August 15–16. Thousands of invading troops were not able to embark in time and were slaughtered by

1357-438: The Taira clan were now the undisputed leaders of Japan. Yoritomo, the new head of the Minamoto, was not executed by Kiyomori because of pleas from Kiyomori's stepmother but was exiled. Yoritomo's brothers, Minamoto no Noriyori and Minamoto no Yoshitsune were also allowed to live. Yoritomo grew up in exile. He married into the Hōjō clan , led by Hōjō Tokimasa , marrying Tokimasa's daughter, Hōjō Masako . Meanwhile, he

1416-569: The Taira-dominated court allowed Yoritomo the time to build an administration of his own, centered on his military headquarters in Kamakura. In the end he triumphed over his rival cousins, who sought to steal control of the clan from him, and over the Taira , who suffered a terrible defeat at the Battle of Dan-no-ura in 1185. Yoritomo established the supremacy of the samurai caste and the first shogunate ( bakufu ) at Kamakura, thus beginning

1475-411: The bloodline pure and give legitimacy to the rule. This succession proceeded for more than a century. As a result, the Kamakura shogunate rested on an unusual pyramid of regents and de facto usurpation: The true rulers, namely the Hōjō regents, had usurped power from the Minamoto, who had usurped it from the Emperor, descending from Emperor Kōkō , who usurped it from the children of Emperor Seiwa . At

1534-407: The capital, the former headquarters of the Taira clan. When his old rival, Emperor Go-Shirakawa died in the spring of 1192, there was no longer anyone standing in the way of his ultimate ambition. Thus, Yoritomo gave himself the title of Sei-i Tai Shōgun (Barbarian-quelling Generalissimo) which formally placed all the feudal lords and both the jitō and shugo under his direct control. Thus creating

1593-466: The civil government in Kyoto. Kamakura also appointed stewards, or jitō , to positions in the manors ( shōen ). These stewards received revenues from the manors in return for their military service. They served along with the holders of similar office, gesu , who delivered dues from the manor to the proprietor in Kyoto. Thus the dual governmental system reached to the manor level. In legal matters,

1652-516: The civil war, thus ensuring victory for Yoshitomo and Kiyomori. Sutoku was placed under house arrest, and Yorinaga was fatally wounded in battle. Tameyoshi was executed by the forces of Yoshitomo. Nonetheless, Go-Shirakawa and Kiyomori were ruthless, and Yoshitomo found himself as the head of the Minamoto clan, while Yoritomo became the heir. Yoritomo and the Minamoto clan descended from the imperial family on his father's side. Nonetheless, in Kyoto ,

1711-484: The evening of February 13, 1219 ( Jōkyū 1, 27th day of the 1st month ), Sanetomo was coming down from the Senior Shrine at Tsurugaoka Hachiman-gū after participating in a ceremony celebrating his nomination to Udaijin . His nephew and son of deposed Yoriie, Kugyō , came out from beside the stone stairway of the shrine and assassinated him. For his act, he was himself beheaded a few hours later, thus bringing

1770-476: The exiled emperor's rescue, and in response the Hōjō sent forces again commanded by Takauji to attack Kyoto. Once there, however, Takauji decided to switch sides and support Go-Daigo. At the same time another warlord loyal to the emperor, Nitta Yoshisada , attacked Kamakura and took it. About 870 Hōjō clan, including the last three Regents, committed suicide at their family temple, Tōshō-ji , whose ruins were found in today's Ōmachi. In 1336, Ashikaga Takauji assumed

1829-499: The father of Yoritomo's widow, Hōjō Masako , and former guardian and protector of Yoritomo, claimed the title of regent ( shikken ) to Yoritomo's son Minamoto no Yoriie , eventually making that claim hereditary to the Hōjō clan . At the same time, Hōjō Masako maneuvered herself into such a powerful, albeit informal, position that people began calling her the "nun shogun" in the place of her son Yoriie. As Minamoto no Yoriie grew older, however, he attempted to exert real power, resulting in

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1888-490: The feudal age in Japan, which lasted until the 17th century. As he rose to a position of power, Yoritomo began to defy and undermine the authority of Emperor Go-Shirakawa by appointing his own jitō (district stewards) and shugo (constables), thus eroding the central government's local administrative power. In the summer of 1189, Yoritomo invaded and subjugated the northern provinces of Mutsu and Dewa . In December 1190 Yoritomo took up residence in his Rokuhara mansion at

1947-447: The financial expenditures weakened the regime considerably. Additionally, the defensive war left no gains to distribute to the warriors who had fought it, leading to discontent. Construction of defensive walls added further expenses to the strained regime. In 1331, Emperor Go-Daigo took arms against Kamakura, but was defeated by Kamakura's Ashikaga Takauji and exiled to Oki Island , in today's Shimane Prefecture . A warlord then went to

2006-542: The government promulgated a legal code called Goseibai Shikimoku in 1232 which would continuously be used until the Muromachi period . A court of appeals was also set up during this period, called the Moncho-jo . Source: 35°19′N 139°33′E  /  35.317°N 139.550°E  / 35.317; 139.550 Minamoto no Yoritomo Minamoto no Yoritomo ( 源 頼朝 , May 9, 1147 – February 9, 1199)

2065-443: The helm. Since the Hōjō family did not have the rank to nominate a shōgun from among its members, Masako had to find a convenient puppet. The problem was solved by choosing Kujo Yoritsune, a distant relation of the Minamoto, who would be the fourth shōgun and figurehead, while Hōjō Yoshitoki would take care of day-to-day business. However powerless, future shōguns would always be chosen from either Fujiwara or imperial lineage to keep

2124-471: The imperial government and founded the Ashikaga shogunate in 1336 ( Nanboku-chō period ). There are various theories as to the year in which the Kamakura period and Kamakura shogunate began. In the past, the most popular theory was that the year was 1192, when Minamoto no Yoritomo was appointed Seii Taishōgun ( 征夷大将軍 ) . Later, the prevailing theory was that the year was 1185, when Yoritomo established

2183-477: The original statue of Yoritomo was lost, an altered statue of Tokiyori was used as a replacement. On the other hand, he considers the inscription on the statue of Minamoto no Yoritomo in Kai Province , Zenkō-ji to be the name of the repairer instead of the name of the sculptor, and that it was made at the request of Hōjō Masako in the first quarter of the 13th century. Thus, Kuroda concludes that this statue

2242-470: The political and military power of the Shogunate, relegating the position and title of Sei-i Taishōgun , or shōgun , to a figurehead. Through hereditary succession, Sanetomo's older brother Yoriie became Sei-i Taishōgun in 1202, only to be stripped of the title a year later and put under house arrest for plotting against the Hōjō clan . This was presumably to keep the shōgun a child and thus needing

2301-424: The position of rightful heir of the Minamoto clan , he led his clan against the Taira from his capital in Kamakura , beginning the Genpei War in 1180. After five years of civil war, the Minamoto clan finally defeated the Taira in the Battle of Dan-no-ura in 1185. Yoritomo established the supremacy of the samurai caste and the first shogunate ( bakufu ) which was to be centered around Kamakura, thus beginning

2360-471: The position of shōgun himself, establishing the Ashikaga shogunate . The Kamakura shogunate functioned within the framework of the Heian system of Imperial rule. Yoritomo established a chancellery, or mandokoro , as his principal organ of government. Later, under the Hōjō, a separate institution, the hyōjōshū became the focus of government. The shogunate appointed new military governors ( shugo ) over

2419-438: The provinces/states. These were selected mostly from powerful families in the different provinces, or the title was bestowed upon a general and his family after a successful campaign. Although they managed their own affairs, in theory they were still obliged to the central government through their allegiance to the shōgun. The military governors paralleled the existing system of governors and vice-governors ( kokushi ) appointed by

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2478-517: The rightful heir of the Minamoto clan and set up a capital in Kamakura to the east. Not all Minamoto thought of Yoritomo as rightful heir, however. His uncle, Minamoto no Yukiie , and his cousin Minamoto no Yoshinaka , conspired against him. In September 1180, Yoritomo was defeated at the Battle of Ishibashiyama , his first major battle, when Ōba Kagechika led a rapid night attack. After his defeat in Mt. Ishibashiyama, Minamoto no Yoritomo fled into

2537-473: The same time, the regents, shoguns, and emperors all still maintained their nominal positions and existed alongside each other. The regime nonetheless proved to be stable enough to last a total of 135 years, 9 shōguns and 16 regents. In 1221, Emperor Go-Toba tried to regain power in what would be called the Jōkyū War ( 承久の乱 , Jōkyū no Ran ) , but the attempt failed. The power of the Hōjō remained unchallenged until 1324, when Emperor Go-Daigo orchestrated

2596-415: The samurai. Such losses in men, material, and the exhaustion of the Korean state in provisioning the two invasions put an end to the Mongols' attempts to conquer Japan. The "divine wind", or kamikaze , was credited for saving Japan from foreign invasion. For two further decades the Kamakura shogunate maintained a watch in case the Mongols attempted another invasion. However, the strain on the military and

2655-533: The statues of Minamoto no Yoritomo in Higashihirozo and Hōjō Tokiyori in Kenchō-ji , from the facial expression to size, they are almost identical, and there is evidence that the kariginu was remodeled into a sokutai , the formal dress of the shogun, by adding a hirao and sekitai. Kuroda argues that the statue was originally a statue of Hōjō Tokiyori sculpted in Kamakura in the 14th century, but after

2714-454: The time, his grandfather Minamoto no Tameyoshi was the head of the Minamoto clan. His childhood name was Oniwakamaru (鬼武丸). He was a descendant of Emperor Seiwa . In 1156, factional divisions in the court erupted into open warfare within the capital . The cloistered Emperor Toba and his son Emperor Go-Shirakawa sided with the son of Fujiwara regent Fujiwara no Tadazane , Fujiwara no Tadamichi as well as Taira no Kiyomori (heir of

2773-492: The title of shikken (regent to the shōgun ). One of his brothers-in-law was Ashikaga Yoshikane . The stone pagoda traditionally believed to be his grave is still maintained today, adjacent to Shirahata Shrine, a short distance from the spot believed to be the site of the so-called Ōkura Bakufu , his shogunate's administrative-governmental offices. He appears as a hero unit in Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings , and as

2832-438: The titular shōguns, with the Hōjō holding the real power. In 1204, loyalists of Yoriie attempted an uprising to topple the Hōjō domination, but the latter defeated the rebels and assassinated Yoriie. In 1205, Hōjō Tokimasa attempted to depose Sanetomo, hoping to install his son-in-law as new shogun. However, his daughter Hōjō Masako saw this as threat to her own status; she arranged the pretender's murder and banished her father to

2891-404: Was Hōjō Masako and his older brother was the second Kamakura shogun Minamoto no Yoriie . His childhood name was Senman ( 千万 ) . He was the last head of the Minamoto clan of Japan . His Dharma name was Daijijiden seini'i goshoko jingi ( 大慈寺殿正二位丞相公神儀 ) . He was an accomplished waka poet. After the death of Yoritomo in 1199, Sanetomo's maternal grandfather Hōjō Tokimasa usurped

2950-467: Was "more adult-like than others of his age", and the figure of a young warrior Yoritomo appears in the picture scroll of The Tale of Heiji . Genpei Jōsuiki describes Yoritomo saying "his face is large and appearance is beautiful." The imperial messenger Nakahara no Yasusada, who met Yoritomo in Kamakura in August 1183, said that "he is short and his face is large, his appearance is graceful and language

3009-401: Was attacked by the Taira; Shinzei escaped, only to be captured and decapitated shortly thereafter. The Taira then burned the ex-emperor's palace, defeating the Minamoto. Yoshitomo fled the capital but was later betrayed and executed by a retainer. In the aftermath, harsh terms were imposed on the Minamoto and their allies. Only Yoshitomo's three young boys remained alive, so that Kiyomori and

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3068-497: Was finally taken down by Gosho no Gorōmaru , thus saving Yoritomo from a possible assassination attempt and ending the massacre. After this, Yoritomo took Tokimune in for questioning and had him executed later. Yoritomo was ordained as a Buddhist monk in 1199 and left his home. He received the Buddhist name Bukōshōgendaizenmon (武皇嘯厚大禅門). He died two days later at the age of 51. According to The Tale of Heiji , Yoritomo

3127-408: Was not dissuaded from his intentions of bringing Japan under Mongol control, and once again sent a message demanding submission, which infuriated the Hōjō leadership, who had the messengers executed. They responded with decisive action for defense—a wall was built to protect the hinterland of Hakata Bay, defensive posts were established, garrison lists were drawn up, regular manning of the home provinces

3186-446: Was notified of events in Kyoto . Parents Consorts and issues In 1180, Prince Mochihito , a son of Cloistered Emperor Go-Shirakawa , made a national call to arms of the Minamoto clan all over Japan to rebel against the Taira . Yoritomo took part in this, especially after tensions escalated between the Taira and Minamoto after the death of Minamoto no Yorimasa and Prince Mochihito himself. Yoritomo established himself as

3245-479: Was primarily held by the ruling emperor of Japan and their regents , typically appointed from the ranks of the Imperial Court and the aristocratic clans that vied for influence there. Military affairs were handled under the auspices of the civil government. From 1180 to 1185, the Genpei War was fought between the Taira and Minamoto clans as part of a longstanding violent rivalry for influence over

3304-458: Was redirected to the western defenses, and ships were constructed to harass the invaders' fleet when they appeared. The Mongols returned in 1281 with a force of some 50,000 Mongol-Korean-Chinese along with some 100,000 conscripts from the defeated Song empire in south China. This force embarked and fought the Japanese for some seven weeks at several locations in Kyushu, but the defenders held, and

3363-402: Was the founder and the first shogun of the Kamakura shogunate , ruling from 1192 until 1199, also the first ruling shogun in the history of Japan . He was the husband of Hōjō Masako who acted as regent ( shikken ) after his death. Yoritomo was the son of Minamoto no Yoshitomo and belonged to Seiwa Genji 's prestigious Kawachi Genji family. After successfully maneuvering himself to

3422-807: Was tutored by Fujiwara no Teika . He published his private waka collection Kinkai Wakashū , even having one of his tanka included in the anthology Ogura Hyakunin Isshu ("100 Poems by 100 Poets"), a collection of Japanese poems of the Heian and early Kamakura periods. Sanetomo reached the third-highest post of the imperial court, Udaijin (Minister of the Right or "vice-premier") in 1218. Eventually, Sanetomo lapsed into inactivity and despair, plagued by fear of assassination and tormented by his chronic alcoholism (an addiction which Priest Eisai once tried to break by replacing alcohol with tea ). Under heavy snow on

3481-417: Was well protected in Kamakura . His brothers Minamoto no Yoshitsune and Minamoto no Noriyori defeated the Taira in several battles, but they could not stop Minamoto no Yoshinaka , Yoritomo's rival, from entering Kyoto in 1183 and chasing the Taira south. The Taira took Emperor Antoku with them. In 1184, the Minamoto replaced Antoku with Emperor Go-Toba . From 1181 to 1184, a de facto truce with

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